With
Monsieur Poisson’s birthday and mine being just over a week apart, it makes for
an extended period of excuses/reasons for eating. When the dates fall on or in
the lead-up to a weekend like this year, it leads to a whole day of eating, rather than a single celebratory meal to in
the name of the event.

It
is a sunny Saturday and although we are a little slow to get going, we still
manage to enjoy some brunch at Luxe Bakery. Located just across the laneway
from Campos Coffee, we score the
last available table as we step into Luxe. I can’t go past the ‘Schultz Wagyu
melt’ which is served like an open Reuben and blanketed with a generous helping
of melted Swiss cheese. A bedding of pickled cabbage proves to not be too tart,
unlike some sauerkraut, whilst a small amount of horseradish along with a
finely sliced gherkin help to alleviate any the heaviness from the cheese.

Monsieur
Poisson decides on something a little more breakfast-y with the ‘Organic free
range eggs on sourdough toast” which he chooses to have poached. The eggs burst
open with bright orange yolks and sides of meaty and firm Lebanese sausages
plus baked mushrooms complete the meal for him. Coffees are a little delayed
partly due to my starting a conversation with the waitress about her nail
polish, but when they arrive the coffees are strong and piping hot without
being burnt.

At
some point in time, I detect the unmistakeable waft of truffle oil in the air
and it is a neighbouring table receiving the ‘House-cured ocean trout with
hash, poached egg and truffle oil.” Now, how did we miss that even though we
were sitting right under the blackboard menu?

The
afternoon is spent moseying about Newtown before heading to dinner at Wild
Sage, a place we’d happened upon quite by accident one afternoon. It is a full
house on this Saturday evening and it’s encouraging to see that there are
plenty of families along with kid-friendly coloured pencil packs to keep them
entertained.

‘Chargrilled
king prawns with sand crab tabouleh & preserved lemon’ form a component of
our starters and are able to be ordered as a serve or 2 or 4. They are smoky
and contrasted by the refreshing tabouleh although there is little detectable
sand crab. ‘Tuscan spiced meatballs with tomato relish’ and ‘Feta & olive
arancini’ are available as little share plates with both being tasty,
incredibly more-ish and comforting.

Monsieur
Poisson has his eyes on the ‘Twice cooked crispy pork belly, seared scallops,
asparagus, watercress, with sticky soya dressing’ with the only disappointment
being the sticky soya dressing being, well, too sticky and sweet. Perhaps being
Asian, we were expecting a certain salty and umami component to the sauce. I
opt for an entrée-sized ‘Chilli spaghettini with fresh local seafood, cherry
tomato, sea salt, flat leaf parsley, virgin olive oil’ and am most impressed by
the seafood-to-pasta ratio. The chilli is subtle and provides more a note of
heat after each mouthful rather than being in-your-face spicy. The dish does
get a little oily towards the end, however, with a small pool of olive oil
collecting at the bottom of the plate.

The
‘Soft-centred Belgian chocolate pudding‘ is a chocolate fondant by another name
and requires a short wait as expected, but is perfectly oozing when it arrives.
Flanked by a strawberry, double-cream and our request for ice-cream, it is
surprisingly light and not as sugary as I expect.

An
encouraging local-ish delight, we definitely need to discover our own surrounds
more!

I love Wild Sage, it is great. However I have never tried that pudding you have photographed up there. I think I will be paying them a little visit this week. Once when I was there, one of the waiters burst into Opera singing....it was amazing!

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About Me

Mademoiselle Délicieuse is Rita. Wife to the ever-patient Monsieur Poisson. Mother to the Mini-human. Australian-born but Hong Kong-Chinese at heart. Loves all things French. Tries to find time to be a food blogger.

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All comments and opinions expressed on this blog belong to the author and no one else. Each blog entry is a personal anecdote and is published for entertainment purposes only. No payments or incentives have been received by the author in exchange for the comments and opinions expressed unless otherwise stated. All pictures published can be accredited to the author's own shonky photography skills.